All requirements for a biology major are outlined below. All majors must complete the same Required Core courses in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Statistics, and must also complete additional requirements and/or electives in one of five concentrations.

Core Curriculum Requirements (43-45 credits)

All Biology majors are required to take the following courses and are advised to take them as part of the Core Curriculum requirements:

Biology majors must complete the four Core courses, BIOL 131, BIOL 132, BIOL 231 and BIOL 232 with grades of C or better before registering for any 300- or 400-level Biology electives. (Exception: Students in the Medical Laboratory Sciences Concentration do not need to take BIOL BIOL 232.)

Students who change their majors to Biology may substitute BIOL 105 for BIOL 132. Transfer students who transfer in credit for BIOL 105 may similarly substitute the transferred course for BIOL 132 . Transfer students who transfer in BIOL 102 from a Virginia Community College, or an equivalent course from another institution, may substitute that course for BIOL 232.

All Biology (BIOL) courses that have prerequisites, with the exception of those cross-listed with Chemistry (CHEM), require a grade of “C” or better in all courses listed as prerequisites for admission to the course, unless otherwise stated.

Note(s):

(Students concentrating in Medical Laboratory Sciences take a modification of the above requirements. See below.)

Concentration (26-36 credits)

All majors must choose one of the five concentrations described below and fulfill all additional requirements for their chosen concentration.

B.S. Requirements (8 credits)

All Biology majors are expected to complete CHEM 301:CHEM 302 (8 hrs.) to fulfill their Bachelor of Science degree requirement.

Electives

Students should consult with their academic advisors in selecting elective courses to complete the 120 semester hours required for graduation.

Total Credits Needed for Degree: 120

Graduation Requirements

To graduate with a major in biology a student must attain an overall major grade point average of 2.0 or higher. Major GPA is calculated by using BIOL 131, BIOL 132, BIOL 160, all biology courses 200-level or higher, all courses outside of biology used as electives (including CHEM 471:472, Physics if used as an elective, Geography or Geology used as an environmental concentration elective), and any course used as an elective by academic petition.

Concentrations

General Biology Concentration

The General Biology Concentration provides students with a strong, broadly-based foundation in biology. This concentration is appropriate for all Biology majors, including those students planning to enter graduate school and those planning to seek teacher licensure. Students planning to enter graduate school programs specifically in Molecular Biology or Environmental Biology may should consider those concentrations in those fields or the General Biology Concentration. Students planning to enter medical, dental, veterinary, or other health-related graduate programs may consider the Pre-Health Concentration or the General Biology Concentration.

Electives (26-30 credits)

Students must select either 26 credits of Biology elective courses or 22 credits of Biology electives courses and 8 credits hours of Physics courses. Biology electives may be chosen from any of the Biology courses numbered 200 or higher except those listed as not counting for the Biology major (e.g., BIOL 310, BIOL 311, BIOL 322, BIOL 334). Students are advised to consider all the department’s electives and to choose those most appropriate to their goals.

Teaching Licensure

A biology major in the General Biology Concentration seeking teacher licensure should contact the College of Education and Human Development for information concerning the necessary courses. Students not majoring in biology who desire an endorsement to teach biology in secondary schools must complete 32 semester hours of biology coursework, including BIOL 131:BIOL 132:BIOL 231:BIOL 232. Preparation in chemistry, physics, and mathematics is also recommended. Students should contact the College of Education and Human Development to determine the most appropriate courses for this option.

Molecular Biology Concentration

The Molecular Biology concentration prepares students to answer questions about living organisms and life processes at the molecular level. This concentration may be taken by students considering graduate school in almost any discipline in biology, students who are considering the medical profession, or students who are interested in pursuing careers in biological research.

Note(s):

To count towards the Concentration, BIOL 491, BIOL 492, or BIOL 495 should focus on molecular or cellular biology or biotechnology. Note: No more than six credit hours of BIOL 491/BIOL 492/BIOL 493/BIOL 495 may be applied to the Biology major; any additional credit hours will apply as university electives.

Environmental Biology Concentration

The Environmental Biology concentration prepares students for graduate school and careers in environmental biology and related fields.

Note(s):

No more than six credit hours of BIOL 491/BIOL 492/BIOL 493/BIOL 495 may be applied to the Biology major; any additional credit hours will apply as university electives.

Medical Laboratory Sciences Concentration

This concentration is exceptionally rigorous and selective. Biology majors concentrating in Medical Laboratory Sciences take three years of academic courses at Radford University and, upon acceptance, spend their senior year (12 months) interning and studying in the clinical facilities of one of the hospitals affiliated with Radford University.

For entrance into the clinical year of study (BIOL 401, BIOL 402, BIOL 403), students must apply to the hospital. Because the number of clinical spaces in the hospitals is limited and the number of applicants is large, students should have a GPA of 2.5 or preferably higher to be competitive for this clinical internship.

Core Curriculum Requirements (43-45 credits)

All Biology majors are required to take the following courses and are advised to take them as part of the Core Curriculum requirements:

Articulation Agreement Between Radford University and Medical College of Virginia

The Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Professions, Medical College of Virginia Campus/Virginia Commonwealth University agrees to guarantee admission into the Master of Science program in clinical laboratory sciences for students with the following criteria: Baccalaureate degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences, minimum GPA 3.25 and a minimum science GPA of 3.0. Minimum TOEFL of 570 is required for students whose native language is not English.